Accessory support system

ABSTRACT

In a support system for supporting objects on an air outlet register, a mounting body is provided with opposite spaced parallel front and rear walls and the rear wall includes adjustable clips for engaging ribs of the register for supporting the mounting body adjacent the register and the front wall of the body includes engagement means for engaging various objects or articles to be supported on the mounting body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to an accessory support system forsupporting articles on registers, particularly the heating and coolingair registers in the dashboard of a motor vehicle.

[0002] Automobile drivers often wish to support certain articles such asa cellular telephone or a cup readily accessible at the dashboard of theautomobile. To this end, support structures are known which can bemounted to the dashboard by screws which however causes some damage. Itis also known to mount the support structures by cementing using anadhesive surface. Such an arrangement, however, also leaves generallyvisible marks on the dashboard and, furthermore, the structure may comeloose when subjected to excessive heat for example by exposure to thesun in the summertime. Particular support structure have also beenoffered which can be mounted to the air outlet registers of thedashboard of an automobile by way of clips by which one or more of theregister fins are firmly engaged. However, the registers of differentvehicles are often quite different in width and spacing. And althoughmost register fins extend horizontally in some automobiles, the outeraccessible register fins extend vertically. To accommodate the registersof all automobiles support structures, different clip arrangements musttherefore be made available. Furthermore, the various devices must allbe provided in different design depending on the type of register towhich they are to he mounted. This of course causes increasedmanufacturing and particularly increased handling and storage expenses.

[0003] It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide asupport system, wherein a single mounting arrangement is adaptable tothe various air outlet register designs independently of the width orthe orientation of the register fins and also to the various articles tobe supported.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] In a support system for supporting objects on an air outletregister, a mounting body is provided with opposite spaced parallelfront and rear walls and the rear wall includes adjustable clips forengaging ribs of the register for supporting the mounting body adjacentthe register and the front wall of the body includes engagement meansfor engaging various articles to be supported on the mounting body.

[0005] With this support system, the support body can be mounted inproper positions on any air outlet, no matter whether the outlet finsare horizontal or vertical and it can be mounted with a selectablespacing therefrom and even at selectable angles relative thereto. Aparticular support device or article as desired can then be attached tothe support face of the support device depending on what article theuser wishes to be supported.

[0006] The invention will become more readily apparent from thefollowing description of preferred embodiments thereof on the basis ofthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the support system accordingto the invention showing a support body with mounting clips at one sideand engagement means on the other side for the mounting of certainsupport devices or articles, which are designed to be engaged by theengagement means,

[0008]FIG. 2 is a top view of FIG. 1 showing the engagement cliparrangement,

[0009]FIG. 3 is a side view of the support structure as shown in FIGS. 1and 2,

[0010]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the support body as shown in FIG. 1with the clips removed to show the support slots, in which the clips areadjustably engaged,

[0011]FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with a support magnetintegrated directly into the support body for holding articles includingmagnetic material,

[0012]FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with a U-shaped supportstructure integrated into the front face of the support for engagingarticles provided with a button-like support member like certaincellular phones, and

[0013]FIG. 7 is a top view of the arrangement as shown in FIG. 6 to showthe shape of the U-shaped support structure.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The accessory support system as shown in FIG. 1 comprises ahollow body 1 having spaced parallel front and rear walls 2 and 3 andside walls 4 extending between the front and rear walls. The front wall2 includes claws 2 a for engaging various support accessories such astelephone holders or cup holders in a way as disclosed for example inApplicant's earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,995.

[0015] The rear wall 3 as shown in plain view in FIG. 4 includes spacedparallel slots 4, 5, and 6 provided with enlarged center portions 4 a, 5a, and 6 a for mounting clips 7 (FIGS. 1 and 3) to the rear wall 3. Eachmounting clip 7 has a root portion 8 and a clip portion 9. The rootportion 8 includes a square stem 10 provided with engagement wallmembers 11, which are disposed in spaced relationship from each other bya distance corresponding to the thickness of the rear wall 3. Thediameter of the engagement wall members 11 corresponds to the width ofthe enlarged center portions 4 a, 5 a, 6 a of the parallel slots 4, 5,and 6, so that the rout portion 8 can be inserted into the parallelslots 4, 5, 6 through the center portions 4 a, 5 a, 6 a and then movedtoward the narrower ends of the slots for engagement of the rootportions with the rear wall of the hollow body 1. The square stemsections 10 of the root portion have a diameter corresponding to thewidth of the parallel slots 4, 5, 6 and an axial length corresponding tothe thickness of the rear wall 3 of the body 1. The root portions cantherefore be installed in the slots 4, 5, 6 selectively in any 90°displaced angular position so that they can be set for the clipstructures at their opposite ends to engage selectively vertical orhorizontal air outlet fins.

[0016] The clip portion 9 includes a support bar 12 with a hook-like endportion 13 and a resilient clip member 14 for holding an air outlet finin engagement with the support bar 12. The support bar has a toothedarea 12 a and carries an abutment member 15, which is longitudinallymovably supported on the support bar 12. The abutment member 15 isprovided with a projection 16 for engaging an outlet fin longitudinallybetween the end portion 13 of she support bar 12 and the projection 16of the abutment member 15. The abutment member 15 also includes ratchetmeans engaging the tooted area 12 a in order to retain the abutwentmember 15 in position in engagement with a particular fin of the airoutlet register.

[0017]FIGS. 1 and 3 snow the mounting clip 7 attached in the sanemounting slot 4 in an orientation as they should be installed withregister including horizontal fins. They could however also be installedin different mounting slots and be turned by 90°. Furthermore, they areshown mounted with the stem section 10 closest to the clip portionengaged in the slot 4 so that the body 1 is arranged closest to the airoutlet. Other sections 10 could be used for the installation of themounting clips on the body 1 whereby the body 1 can be supported in aselectably spaced relationship from the air outlet.

[0018] While FIGS. 1 and 2 show the front wall provided with clawsarrangement means other engagement means may be provided on the frontwall.

[0019]FIG. 5 shows for example a hollow body with a front wall 2′, inwhich a magnet 20 is mounted. The magnet 20 and the front wall 2′ isadditionally covered by a foamed rubber sheet 21. This provides for asupport structure engaging any article that includes a magnetic materialas for example most cellular telephones do.

[0020]FIGS. 6 and 7 show a hollow body with a front wall 2″ providedwith a U-shaped raised portion 22 forming an open channel 23 forreceiving a button-like mounting member as they are provided on certainarticles such as for example on some cellular telephones for engagingand supporting the cellular telephone.

[0021] Such magnetic support or U-shaped engagement structures may ofcourse also be provided on plates, which have openings for receiving theclaws 2 a as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and which can therefore be mountedon the hollow body 1 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for supporting specificarticles so that no special hollow body with the support structuresembodied therein needs to be provided.

What is claimed is:
 1. A support system for supporting objects on an airoutlet register, comprising a mounting body having opposite spacedparallel front and rear walls, said rear walls being provided with clipsfor engaging ribs of said register for supporting said mounting bodyadjacent said register and said front wall including engagement meansfor engaging various objects to be supported on said mounting body.
 2. Asupport system according to claim 1, wherein said engagement means areclaws adapted for reception in corresponding openings formed in saidobjects for engaging said objects with said mounting body.
 3. A supportsystem according to claim 1, wherein said engagement means includes afront plate having a permanent magnet disposed therein for engaging andsupporting an article including a magnetic material.
 4. A support systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said engagement means includes a frontplate having a U-shaped raised portion forming an open-ended recess forreceiving a button-like support member as it is provided on certainobjects.
 8. A support system according to claim 1, wherein the rear wallof said mounting body is provided with at least one slot having apredetermined width and said clips have roots with grooves having awidth corresponding to the thickness of said rear body wall saidreceiving the edges of said rear wall forming said slots.
 9. A supportsystem according to claim 8, wherein said slots each has an enlargedcenter area and the roots of said clips have several longitudinallyspaced circumferential grooves with a groove core area of squarecross-section and the root portions between and adjacent said grooveshave a diameter corresponding to the width of the enlarged center areapermitting the insertion of a selected one of said grooves into saidslot in said rear body wall.
 10. A support system according to claim 9,wherein more than one such slot is formed in the rear wall of saidmounting body said slots being arranged in spaced parallel relationship.